3.1 Event Model

The two models of program execution (which are not necessarily mutually exclusive) are linear and event-driven.

Linear programs move in a linear fashion, from step 1 to step 2 and so on, to the end of all the steps. Flow control structures within the code (such as loops, if statements, or function or subroutine calls) may redirect the flow of the program, but essentially, once program execution begins, it runs its course unaffected by anything the user or system may do. Prior to the advent of GUI environments, most computer programs were linear.

In contrast, event-driven programming responds to events. An event is generated (or raised) when "something happens," such as the user pressing a button. Often, events are generated by user action, but events can also be generated by the system starting or finishing work. For example, the system might raise an event when a file that you open for reading has been read into memory or when your battery's power is running low.

Windows is an event-driven program. The operating system is relatively quiescent until it detects an event such as the user clicking the mouse on a button. The click raises an event, which must be handled. The method that responds to the event is called the event handler. When the event is raised, the event handler, if one exists, is automatically executed by Windows.

In ASP.NET, objects may raise events and may have assigned event handlers. For example, a button may raise the Click event and may have an OnClick method that handles the event.

The event handler name is formed by prepending the word "On" to the event name, so in the case of a Click event, the event handler is called OnClick. Table 3-1 lists some of the more commonly used events and the names of their event handlers.

Table 3-1. Common events and their event handler names

Event name	Event handler name	Applies to
BubbleEvent	OnBubbleEvent	All controls
CheckedChanged	OnCheckedChanged	CheckBox
Click	OnClick	Button, LinkButton, ImageButton
DataBinding	OnDataBinding	All controls
Init	OnInit	All controls
ItemCreated	OnItemCreated	Repeater
ItemDataBound	OnItemDataBound	Repeater
Load	OnLoad	All controls
PreRender	OnPreRender	All controls
SelectedIndexChanged	OnSelectedIndexChanged	DataGrid, DataList, CheckBoxList, DropDownList, ListBox, RadioButtonList
TextChanged	OnTextChanged	TextBox
Unload	OnUnload	All controls